Sermons by Michael Felber

Paul wrote this first of the “pastoral epistles” to help Timothy as he was leading the Ephesian church back to a right focus and especially right public worship. Paul was concerned that the local church stay right, look like the one they worshipped.  

Having reminded Timothy of the severe danger of and the proper response to damaging the local body, Paul talks about public worship. First on the list for public worship is prayer.

“First of all” connects to “I exhort.” The point is not to say that Prayer was most important in the service, but that it was first of several points about worship that Paul wanted them to consider. 

Prayer reminds us of our need and our Father’s desire.

Prayer is important in public forums. Prayer should always be a part of public worship. Paul presents the importance of prayer as he focuses on who should pray and how they should pray.

The message of the bride of Christ is that you can be right with God. You can be restored to an intimate, personal, daily, loving relationship with God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. With God is fullness of life. Sin destroys what mankind is searching for. Sin is the blight of wholeness, it is the virus to healthiness, it is the obstacle to openness. Sin never brings lasting happiness. The first sin did not bring lasting happiness nor will the last. You need three to enjoy your relationship with God. The first of those is a pure heart and that only comes through Jesus Christ. The first does not require maintenance because it is a gift, not something worked for or earned. It is received. It is God reaching out to us.

The second and third require maintenance: good conscience and faith unfeigned. A good conscience requires that you do what you know. Faith unfeigned requires that what you know is accurate.

How we worship reflects our view of God.  In this passage from the manual for the local church, we learn that we need to prepare before we worship.

Are the Scriptures  designed to be a smorgasbord for picking and choosing or is it a manual for how to safely operate? “Have three, maintain two.” 

The Ephesian church was struggling. They were a “good” church. They were well respected. According to Revelation 2 they worked hard and kept themselves from those which were evil, BUT they had left their first love. They looked good but had quit maintaining their relationship with the Lord.

Good relationships take constant maintenance. Without maintenance relationships fail and cease to function well. Our Scripture text today reminds us that everyone needs three and must maintain two.

How does God look at life? Is there a difference between secular and sacred work? Is one more valuable? Have I been incredibly blessed to be vocationally in ministry for 35 years? Was my year wasted when I changed from being a pastor to a bus driver? How about in my high school and college years when I cut grass for a living? Was I just “marking time” until I could go into the “ministry”?

How about you? Should each of you quit your job and go into “full time Christian service?” Would your life matter more if you did?

Notice that God's Word says "Your Work Matters!"

Through out the Bible we admonitions to teach: Parents to children, fathers to son, mothers to daughters, older to younger, or teacher to student. By the words we say or don’t say, we teach our children what is or is not important. By our actions we teach what is important enough to spend our time on and what is not.

We need to be aware of our example and ask our selves what it is that we are teaching those around us. By our actions and words, what are we telling others is important in our lives?

Paul challenges Timothy to “insist on” and teach scriptural truths. The challenge is to never swerve from the Scriptures. Teach and hold fast to the Scriptures. This text reminds believers of the danger of operating on tradition or a popular teacher’s teachings. One of the foundational truths of a Biblical church is that the Bible is the sole authority.

Wisdom begins with God and comes through parents.

As we think of our nation we must consider God in the history of the United States.  We are in troublous times as a nation.  We are distracted from what has brought blessing on our nation.  We have come to think that speaking of God in public and acknowledging Him as the author of Liberty is somehow destructive to our nation.  Liberty and freedom originate in God and when we remove Him from our national discourse we love the liberty and freedom we so desire.

Paul's message in chapter 4 begins with the reminder that since Jesus is coming, be ready.  Live remembering that Satan is defeated and Jesus is coming.  Our study explains the relationship of the dead to the return of the Lord and where we will meet the Lord.  Doctrine is the protection of the church.  This information guides the believer on how to think and live.

We are hearing that because of certain events happening today,  Jesus is coming back. Are the events we are seeing a sign of the end times? The Thessalonian believers were also living in the reality that Jesus could come in their lifetime. Ever since our Lord returned to heaven we have been waiting for His imminent return. It is important that you live in the light of Jesus certain return.  Are you ready?